Photos of real vs. "fake" AW bands

[pjny]

Can you post real Apple bands next to fake apple bands. I am looking for a photo of the silver Moko or Penom milanese loop next to the apple one. It would also be nice to compare the knockoffs to the real ones by comparison in same photo and lighting.

Thanks.

 

[perezr10]

I did this comparison of the lug fit on my Apple Watch between the $50 Case-Mate Leather strap and Apple's Classic buckle.


Guess which one is Apple's?

 

[ZipZap]

If its not loose i can live with that for $10 vs. $150

 

[Brien]

View attachment 667107 I did this comparison of the lug fit on my Apple Watch between the $50 Case-Mate Leather strap and Apple's Classic buckle.


Guess which one is Apple's?

This is why I've held out on buying a knock off link bracelet (or even those JUUK bands).

Apple seems to be the only one with tight tolerances and those gaps (and sticking out or not being flush) would drive me nuts.

 

[pjny]

The $6.99 MoKo and $12 Penom milanese straps fit perfectly on the watch. Those 3rd party straps are top notch when it comes to attaching to the apple watch.

 

[yanki01]

my MoKO milanese loop fits perfect as does my Oittm (HOKO previously?) bracelet. looks the same as my apple leather loop and sports band. the only one that's a little off is the MoKo link bracelet.

 

[MrGimper]

I have the Moko Milanese loop and it's the best fake strap I've had, and I've had a few that I've ended up returning. In fact it's the only fake I have... I have 7 sports, 5 nylon, 3 classic buckle and a leather loop

 

[perezr10]

I guess it just depends on how picky you are. For instance, the owner of the Moko Stainless Steel band in this picture is real happy with it. However, the lugs sticking out on the sides like this would be a deal-breaker for me.

 

[Qqueenie]

If its not loose i can live with that for $10 vs. $150

Meh, I got mine second hand from CEX for $85. There may be even better prices to have on ebay. Once you start buying the original apple bands at discounts, the quality/cost difference between Apple and a third party band begins to weigh in favor of apple...

 

[Brien]

Meh, I got mine second hand from CEX for $85. There may be even better prices to have on ebay. Once you start buying the original apple bands at discounts, the quality/cost difference between Apple and a third party band begins to weigh in favor of apple...

An OEM band for $85? What a steal.

 

[Qqueenie]

An OEM band for $85? What a steal.

Check out CEX! They are great.

 

[ZipZap]

Meh, I got mine second hand from CEX for $85. There may be even better prices to have on ebay. Once you start buying the original apple bands at discounts, the quality/cost difference between Apple and a third party band begins to weigh in favor of apple...

I have plenty of knock off bands and the fit/look great. All together they cost less than $85.

 

[Qqueenie]

I have plenty of knock off bands and the fit/look great. All together they cost less than $85.

Do you consider third party sport bands to fit and look great? Because to me, those bands feel sticky and I hate how much they collect dust and lint. I have a ton of them, but I recently stopped buying them because I found myself always choosing apple bands instead for the better feel.

As far as whether third party leather bands are better than apple's, I'm sure that's a matter of taste. In total I have more than sixty bands, only 14 of which are genuine apple bands, so I have nothing against third party bands, but I do believe the quality of apple's bands make them worth the price.

 

[ZipZap]

I have not had the same issues with knockoffs. I will agree the quality of Apple bands is superior however Apples level of quality is not worth the prices they demand. Its my opinion, and its yours as well or you would not have 46 knockoffs.

I am on the lookout now for a Nike style knockoff. I have an original Volt and bought a gray/black Nike knockoff. I can see that its not as well molded but it is more than fine and feels just as smooth. No one is looking that close at my watch or would say to me that a horrible knockoff band. For $15 its more that adequate as an occasional replacement. If apple offered an original it would be $150 and there is no way I would assess the added quality as being worth $135 more.

However, based upon some of the auctions I see that are selling original Nike volt bands others disagree.

 

[Qqueenie]

I have not had the same issues with knockoffs. I will agree the quality of Apple bands is superior however Apples level of quality is not worth the prices they demand. Its my opinion, and its yours as well or you would not have 46 knockoffs.

FWIW, I will no longer buy knockoff sport bands. I have 20+ that I never wear. The drop off in quality cancels out the value for me. And of all the bands I have, I prefer apple's 95% of the time. But I'm not here to argue with you over whether knockoff bands are worthwhile, since that's a personal value judgement. When I started buying bands I almost entirely preferred knockoffs, but as I gained more experience with both apple bands and knockoffs I came to vastly prefer apple, to the point I rarely wear knockoffs. But if you like them that's great and power to ya! To me, there's a vast quality difference.

 

[bruinsrme]

Real Nike vs knock off

The middle band is the Nike
On the watch has the apple band on the left and the knock of on the right.

 

[44267547]

Real Nike vs knock off

The middle band is the Nike
On the watch has the apple band on the left and the knock of on the right.

You would never be able to tell the difference by looking at them. Where the difference is, the third party is not sitting flush in your band port, as the Apple band is seated perfectly.

 

[ZipZap]

You would never be able to tell the difference by looking at them. Where the difference is, the third party is not sitting flush in your band port, as the Apple band is seated perfectly.

The difference is obvious. The knockoffs have sloppier molding and the color, at least in this case, is not correct. I am not saying people will hate them. The Black/gray knockoff I have is a good color match but the molding is not perfect. What do you expect for $15. I suspect they will improve and that some new sellers on eBay will have better ones by the end of the year.

 

[chuyn]

I have not had the same issues with knockoffs. I will agree the quality of Apple bands is superior however Apples level of quality is not worth the prices they demand. Its my opinion, and its yours as well or you would not have 46 knockoffs.

I am on the lookout now for a Nike style knockoff. I have an original Volt and bought a gray/black Nike knockoff. I can see that its not as well molded but it is more than fine and feels just as smooth. No one is looking that close at my watch or would say to me that a horrible knockoff band. For $15 its more that adequate as an occasional replacement. If apple offered an original it would be $150 and there is no way I would assess the added quality as being worth $135 more.

However, based upon some of the auctions I see that are selling original Nike volt bands others disagree.

Considering the Nike Watch costs the same as the series 2 sport watch, why would Apple charge any more than $50 like the other sport bands? I mean sure, they don't sell them so no one knows, but I'm wondering why you would assume they'd charge $100 more if they're not charging more for the Nike Watch as a whole

 

[TxWatch]

Considering the Nike Watch costs the same as the series 2 sport watch, why would Apple charge any more than $50 like the other sport bands? I mean sure, they don't sell them so no one knows, but I'm wondering why you would assume they'd charge $100 more if they're not charging more for the Nike Watch as a whole

+1

I would buy an original Nike Band for $50 from Apple or Nike. There is nothing that special about them, other than you have to spend $399 to get one for your original 42mm AW. (S2 thrown in for free with purchase of band)

TxWatch

 

[ibookg409]

You would never be able to tell the difference by looking at them. Where the difference is, the third party is not sitting flush in your band port, as the Apple band is seated perfectly.

The difference is night and day. The one in the middle clearly looks like the Apple band. The others are crap.

 

[tymaster50]

they don't look that different, the apple one is a little more detailed around the holes but nobody is going to be inspecting your Apple Watch band, which is why I wonder why people would pay thousands for bands when the difference is so minuscule

 

[Doodah7]

It is a pity that the poster didn't put the picture of the bands up first and ask people to guess which was real. It would have been a more interesting exercise for those that think they can spot the fakes...

 

[Qqueenie]

Here's a real Milanese v. a fake Milanese.